Mobile Bay National Estuary Program Community Action Committee Meeting Wednesday February 17, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. International Trade Center, Killian Room Agenda 1. Welcome & Introductions 2. Minutes 3. NEP 2015 Annual Meeting Video 4. Chair Report CAC then and now 5. Old Business Grassroots meeting and grant evaluations 6. New Business Non-Profit Committee Goals for 2016 Needs Assessment 7. Other Announcements Next Meeting 8. Adjourn
Mobile Bay NEP CAC Meeting International Trade Center, Killian Room February 17, 2016 10:00 a.m. In attendance: Mark Berte, Alabama Coastal Foundation Jamie Bullock, Mobile Baykeeper Casi Callaway, Mobile Baykeeper Tuan Do (Dave), Boat People SOS Debi Foster, the Peninsula of Mobile, Dog River Clearwater Revival Leslie Gahagan, Wolf Bay Watershed Dennis Hatfield, Little Lagoon Preservation Society Cade Kistler, Mobile Baykeeper Ray Mayhall, Fowl River Area Civic Association Sam St. John, Fowl River Area Civic Association Harold White, Fowl River Area Civic Association Staff: Kelley Barfoot, Amy Newbold, Roberta Swann Takeaways Establish a working group to define the functionality of a coastal database system based on the needs of the grassroots groups and other monitors. The CAC will conduct monitoring efforts based on the AWW protocol and will continue to submit data to AWW until a better coastal data management system is established. The CAC members voted to make a recommendation to the Executive Committee to split the CAC into two separate committees, and to establish a non-profit committee named the Education & Advocacy Committee. Purpose, goals and objectives for 2016 will be discussed and voted on at next meeting. A survey will be sent out to prioritize workshops/trainings, set meeting dates/times, request grassroots groups mission statements and needs. 1. Welcome & Introductions Meeting called to order at 10:10 a.m. 2. Review of 2015 The CAC was shown the MBNEP s 2015 Annual Meeting video. The video can be viewed by clicking here. Casi Callaway gave a brief overview of the CAC s 2015 accomplishments. 3. Chair Reports a. CAC then & now The group was shown the purpose, goals and objectives of the Water Quality Monitoring Program established in 2007 by the Community Action Committee. Leslie Gahagan stated that, considering the decline in attendance and focus of the
current CAC group, it was discussed at a separate meeting with just the grassroots groups that it might be best to return to the CAC s roots and focus on water quality monitoring in 2016. She showed a table of reported active water quality monitors according to the CAC s CCMP Year 1 report and an AWW map of active and notactive sites. The not-active sites far outweighed the active ones. She then compared the table and map to current (2014-15) active monitors that were reporting to AWW on behalf of a specific group. The map included 20 active monitoring sites on AWW website for the Mobile River Basin of which 4 were Mobile County. There were 31 active monitoring sites on AWW for the Coastal Plain Region which include Wolf Bay, Perdido Bay and the coastline. There was discussion of several concerns: the decline of active monitors due to age, the feeling that their data is not being used, the accessibility of monitoring sites, and the complexity of the AWW website along with the site being inactive until very recent. The group had a discussion regarding the best way to capture and use their data. The group said they wanted to be able to more easily enter data and to include data entry from YSI monitors. The group did not like the way AWW s website displayed the data and they felt it was not very user-friendly for anyone looking for water quality information. Sam St. John stated he would like to have a local repository specific for coastal data that could easily be entered, extracted and used to show trends and the group agreed. It was decided that the groups would continue to collect water quality data and enter the information into the current AWW website until a coastal data repository could be developed and to also continue using the AWW protocols to train monitors and to keep monitors active. Roberta Swann suggested establishing a working group to define the functionality of the database system based on the needs of the grassroots groups and other monitors. 4. New Business a. Separation of Non-Profits Amy Newbold gave an overview of the results of a meeting with non-profit groups. It was decided that the non-profits would benefit from separating from the CAC and forming a new Management Conference committee. The separation will be proposed to the Executive Committee on March 4 th for approval. During that meeting the nonprofits recommendation to the Executive Committee will be: Purpose: To provide a space for larger capacity and regional non-profits to advocate for and educate on the implementation of the CCMP. Suggested Name: Education & Advocacy Committee Activities/Engagement: Advocating for specific projects within the CCMP (habitat conservation & protection, clean water future campaign, low impact development, connecting environmental justice communities). The two groups will meet together periodically to give a report of each groups progress. Purpose, Goals and Objectives for 2016
The 2016 Water Quality Monitoring Program s draft purpose, goals and objectives will be sent out via survey for review and comment. They will be discussed and approved at next meeting. b. Needs Assessment A survey will be emailed out requesting the group to rank upcoming training opportunities by importance and a schedule will be made and sent out 5. Announcements a. Upcoming Events GreenED Drinks Location: Stewartfield House, Spring Hill College Date: February 25, 2016 from 5-7 p.m. Connect To Your Coast Location: Jubilee Seafood, Montgomery Date: Tuesday, February 23, 2016 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Contact ACF for more information Mobile Bay Estuary Corps Middle School Program Application deadline: February 29, 2016 Contact ACF for more information b. Next Meeting(s) Schedule The next meeting will be assessed via Doodle poll. Leslie Gahagan volunteered to host the August meeting at the Graham Creek Nature Preserve. It was decided that the quarterly meetings would rotate between Mobile and Baldwin County. The next meeting will be held (tentatively) at Daphne City Hall. 6. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 11:57 a.m.
Community Action Committee If we want to keep our water clean, we need to know what makes it dirty FEBRUARY 17, 2016 INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTER, KILLIAN ROOM
CAC 2015 Accomplishments Community Presentations Community Workshops Watershed Groups Participating in Planning Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Community Clean Ups Festivals Celebrations of Heritage and Culture Low Income community access CAC / MBNEP Sponsored Fundraising Workshop June 19 th Volunteer Monitoring Program Learning Session July 9 Grant Writing Workshop August 19 th
Attendance Attendance 2013-2015 CAC Participation 2013-2015 39 28 22 2013 (2) 2014 (4) 2015 (6) Meeting Years
CAC today Declining attendance and participation reason? Survey results: Meeting location Unaware of potential connection and common goals Not getting any benefit from committee meetings Too many different levels of capacity and different missions between members of the non-profits sector and grassroots groups Lack of focus of the committee Change in organizational leadership Where do we go from here?
CAC past success 2007 CAC Established a successful Water Quality Monitoring Program Purpose: To strengthen environmental stewardship by providing citizens with the tools necessary to better understand and act to protect local water quality. Goals: To build the capacity of community organizations to lead water monitoring efforts in their local area / To create a mechanism for better identification of trends and causes and effects of water quality improvements or degradation. Objectives: Gather data on a regular basis / Water quality parameters including temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, nutrients, and bacterial pathogens; Identify trends for local water bodies / Identify and undertake mitigation efforts to correct negative impacts Provide ongoing information through meetings, trainings, publications, and web sites
Current Water Quality Monitors Year 1 CCMP Report Alabama Coastal Foundation 37 City of Daphne 1 Dog River 14 Little Lagoon 7 Mobile Baykeeper 7
Recorded Monitoring Sites (AWW) Watershed Dauphin Island 1 Fowl River 1 Dog River 47 Three Mile Creek 7 Lower Chasaw 8 Tensaw Apalachee 1 The Basin 2 D'Olive 7 Fly Creek 17 Fish River >50 Magnolia Springs/Skunk Bayou 37 Bon Secour 2 Oyster Bay 1 Little Lagoon 4 Wolf Bay >50 Approximate # of sites Perdido Pass 15 Not Active Active
CAC 2016 Water Quality Monitoring Program Purpose: to re-establish the CAC Water Quality Program by engaging grassroots groups and educating citizens about the water quality issues related to their local watersheds Goals: to increase citizen involvement in hands-on monitoring and its contribution to watershed planning; build capacity among grassroots groups through trainings and technology transfer
CAC 2016 Water Quality Monitoring Program Objectives: Establish target number for trained volunteers Assess equipment needs / Chemical supply and demand Location accessibility needs for volunteer monitors Level of monitoring (types) Training needs Discussion
Training Opportunities Board Development: Responsibilities & Leadership Training Effective Communication Tools & Skills Political/Legislative Skills Training Budgeting and Financial Skills Training Questions: Best time and day Priority
Other / Announcements Meeting Schedule May 20 th time? August 12 th time? Annual Meeting December 9 th